Flavor bits for incorporation in culinary mixes and process for making same

ABSTRACT

Flavor bits for incorporation in culinary mixes are produced by mixing, by weight of the total flavor bit, 30% to 40% sugar, 20% to 30% water, 20% to 30% corn syrup, and cooking the mixture at 230*F to 320*F for 20 minutes to 1.5 hours; blending 2% to 6% of an edible cooking fat, and at least 2.5% of a suspending agent into the above mixture; cooling the blend to a temperature between 140*F and 200*F; adding a flavor material; cooling the above mixture until it becomes hard; and grinding the hardened mixture into small particles. The flavor bits exhibit excellent flavor retention and will not settle out of the culinary mixes during their preparation.

United States Patent 91 Weigle Feb. 26, 1974 FLAVOR BITS FORINCORPORATION IN CULINARY MIXES AND PROCESS FOR MAKING SAME [75]Inventor: Dwight C. Weigle, Cincinnati, Ohio [73] Assignee: The Proctor& Gamble Company,

Cincinnati, Ohio [22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1971 [2i] Appl. No.2 208,391

[52] US. Cl 426/156, 426/221, 426/380 [51] Int. Cl. A23] 1/26, A2ld 2/00[58] Field of Search 99/140 R, 94, 134 R [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3,020,164 2/1962 Forkner 99/94 X 3,615,645 10/1971Forkner 3,671,264 6/1972 Drews et al 99/94 Primary Examiner-Raymond N.Jones 5 7] ABSTRACT Flavor bits for incorporation in culinary mixes areproduced by mixing, by weight of the total flavor bit, 30% to 40% sugar,20% to 30% water, 20% to 30% corn syrup, and cooking the mixture at 230Fto 320F for 20 minutes to 1.5 hours; blending 2% to 6% of an ediblecooking fat, and at least 2.5% of a suspending agent into the abovemixture; cooling the blend to a temperature between l40F and 200F;adding a flavor material; cooling the above mixture until it becomeshard; and grinding the hardened mixture into small particles. The flavorbits exhibit excellent flavor retention and will not settle out of theculinary mixes during their preparation.

10 Claims, No Drawings BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of thisinvention is flavor bits or particles which can be incorporated intoculinary mixes, such as cakes and muffin mixes, for the purpose ofenhancing the flavor and appearance of the culinary mixes. The value offlavor bits in food products such as cakes and muffins has beenrecognized for many years. Where it is desired not only to flavor thefood product but to give it a pleasing appearance and to make thepresence of the particles known visually, it has become the practice toemploy flavoring particles of contrasting color and of small size sothat, when the food product is cut and served, there will be greaterlikelihood of individually dispersed particles being visibly exposed atthe plane of cutting.

Several different kinds of flavor bits have been produced andincorporated into food products. For example, US. Pat. No. 2,970,919,Perry, Candy Suspension Composition for Food Delicacies, patented Feb.7, 1961, discloses a gum drop type flavor bit which can be incorporatedinto ice cream or pastry; US. Pat. No. 3,020,164, Forkner, Food Productand Method of Manufacture, patented Feb. 6, 1962, discloses a maltedmilk ball type flavor bit for incorporation in moist bakery orconfection items; US. Pat. No. 3,] 11,41 1, Livingston, Method ofForming Decorative Particles for Incorporation lnto Food and Process ofManufacture Thereof, patented Nov. 19, 1963, discloses a solid, advancedjell type flavor bit for incorporation into food products; and US. Pat.No. 2,855,315, Terrozzi and Tearcy, Dry Fruit Juice Flavoring Particlesand Method of Making the Same, patented Oct. 7, 1958, discloses piecesof dried fruit juice for incorporation into breads, cakes and the like.Each of the above flavor bits, as well as all known prior art flavorbits, exhibit one or both of the following deficiencies: l low level offlavor contribution, probably caused by loss of flavor volatiles duringthe baking of the culinary mixes in which they are incorporated, and (2)a tendency to settle out of the culinary mixes during baking.

As was stated above, flavor bits have been used in the past to improvethe flavor of cakes and other baked items. The extent to which flavorbits actually do contribute to flavor is greatly diminished because ofthe loss of much of the highly volatile flavor materials during baking.Baking is carried out at such high temperatures that these materialsvaporize and are lost. Prior art flavor bits cannot prevent the loss ofa significant amount of the flavor material. Accordingly, it is anobject of this invention to produce a flavor bit for incor-' poration inculinary mixes which exhibits a strong flavor when incorporated intoculinary mixes without exhibiting a significant loss of flavor volatilesduring exposure to high baking temperatures.

Flavor bits have also been used to improve the appearance of bakedgoods. In order to accomplish this purpose, the bits must be dispersedevenly throughout the baked item. Some bits will settle, by gravity, tothe bottom of the batter during baking. This occurs because the bit hasa greater density than the batter. Other bits will not retain theirdistinct particulate form. They will streak or run in the batter whenthey are exposed to high baking temperatures. Accordingly, anotherobject of this invention is to produce a flavor bit for incorporationinto culinary mixes which will not streak or settle out of the culinarymixes into which it is incorporated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The composition of preparedflavor bits suitablefor incorporation in culinary mixes comprises 45% to 55% sugar, 0.1% to10% water, 20% to 35% corn syrup, 2% to 8% of an edible cooking fat, atleast 3% of a suspending agent, 0% to 2% of a food acid, 0% to 2%glycerine, 0% to 1% salt, 0.005% to 5% of a flavoring material, and 0%to 1% dye are produced according to the present invention. A process forproducing such flavor bits comprises mixing sugar, water, corn syrup,and glycerine, and cooking these ingredients at 230F to 320F; adding ina suspending agent and an edible fat; cooling the mixture to between Fand 200F; mixing in a flavor material; cooling the mixture until itbecomes hard; and subdividing the hardened mixture into small particles.Highly volatile flavor material can beincorporated into the flavor bitsof this invention without significant loss of such material.Furthermore, the flavor bits of this invention will remain dispersedthroughout the finished culinary mix without settling out.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The flavor bits of the presentinvention closely resemble small pieces of candy. They can be very hardor relatively soft, depending upon the temperature at which they arecooked. At cooking temperatures of 265F to 320F, the flavor bits arehard and at cooking temperatures of 230F to 265F, the flavor bits arerelatively soft. The bits generally comprise:

INGREDIENT PERCENT BY WEIGHT Sugar 45-55 Water 0.1 10 Corn syrup 20-35Edible fut 2-8 Suspending agent at least 3 Flavoring material ().005-5The final composition of the bits, shown above, is different from thecomposition of the initial ingredients because of the loss of waterduring baking.

The flavor bits of this invention are made by using from about 30% toabout 40% sugar in the initial mix. The sugar can be sucrose, dextrose,and mixtures thereof. Some, but not all, of the sucrose and/or dextrosecan be replaced by fructose, levulose, maltose, lactose, galactose, orother sugar. The sugar is present to provide sweetness and structure tothe flavor bit. The preferred range for the use of sugar is 32% to 35%.

The flavor bits are made by using from about 20% to about 30% water inthe initial mix. The water is used as a solvent for the otheringredients so they can react with each other during cooking. It ispreferred that able in the flavor bits of the present invention. Thepreferred range for corn syrup is 24% to 26%.

The flavor bits are made by adding from about 2% to about 6% margarine,preferably 3.5% to 4.5%, to the initial mix. Any edible fat, vegetableor animal, such as butter or lard, can be used in place of margarine.

In accordance with the present invention, at least about 2.5% of asuspending agent must be included in the initial mix of the flavor bits.If less than 2.5% is used, the bits will settle out of the cake.Suitable suspending agents include hydrophilic colloids, watersolublestarch, gelatins, and gum. Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is thepreferred suspending agent and the preferred concentration range for thesuspending agent is from 4% to 6%. The suspending agent regulates thedispersion performance of the bit by enabling the bit to attach itselfto the structure of the baked item during baking or other preparation.The suspending agent accomplishes this regulation by soaking up largeamounts of water duringbaking, thereby causing the bits to become verygummy and sticky. It is theorized that the gummy and sticky nature ofthe bits allows them to attach themselves to the structure of the bakeditem, thereby preventing them from settling out.

Carboxymethyl cellulose is awater-soluble gum. Although carboxymethylcellulose may be considered as a plastic that is softened by water andhardened by removing water, and although it will form solid plasticmasses or transparent films, many of its commercial uses depend as muchon the characteristics of aqueous solutions as on the physicalproperties of the solid gum. Carboxymethyl cellulose is formed by theetherification of cellulose with a carboxymethyl group (Cl-l- COOH).Since the reaction is carried out in an alkaline medium, the product isgenerally the sodium salt. Commercially, carboxymethyl cellulose is soldas a sodium salt, but there is no reason why other salts ofcarboxymethyl cellulose cannot be used in accordance with the presentinvention.

The cellulose chain is made up of a series of hydroglucose groups, eachof which contains three hydroxyl groups. These hydroxyl groups may beesterified with the carboxymethyl groups to any desired extent. Theextent of the reaction is referred to as the degree of substitution andthe maximum degree of substitution is 3. In accordance with the presentinvention, the degree of substitution of the Carboxymethyl celluloseshould generally be in the range of 0.35 to 0.95. The Food and DrugAdministration will not allow the use of Carboxymethyl cellulose with adegree of substitution of more than 0.95 to be present in foods.However, degrees of substitution up to 1.4 are functional in accordancewith the present invention. Generally,

the viscosity of the carboxymethyl cellulose used in accordance with thepresent invention can be in the range of from 20 centipoises for a 2%aqueous solution at 25C to 4,500 centipoises for a 1% aqueous solutionat 25C.

Almost any flavoring material can be utilized in the present invention.The range of use generally is 0.005% to although some materialsmay haveto be used in greater or lesser concentrations. Examples of flavormaterials which can be utilized in the present invention are strawberry,blueberry, cocoa, chocolate liquor, nut flavors, and citrus flavors.

The flavor bits also can comprise from 0% to 2% citric acid toaccentuate the flavor of the bit. Other food acids besides citric acid,such as malic, tartaric, and fumaric, can be used in the bits as long astheir effect on sugar inversion does not exceed the effect of a 2%addition of citric acid. The flavor bits can also contain from 0% to 2%glycerine to help retain moisture and to make the bit more pliable if itis so desired. Salt can be added in the range from 0% to 1% toaccentuate the flavor of the bit. Any necessary amount of dye can alsobe added to the flavor bits.

The first step in the process for producing these flavor bits comprisesmixing sugar, water, and corn syrup together and cooking the mixture at230F to 320F. Glycerine and salt can also be included in the mixture atthis point. It is possible to add dye at this point, but some dyescannot be present during cooking because they react with the ingredientsto make the product syrupy. These dyes must be added after the cookingstep. The temperature at which the mixture is cooked is very importantbecause it determines the moisture retention of the flavor bits and thuseffects pliability, texture, and handling characteristics. If themixture is cooked at less than 230F, the product will be syrupy. If themixture is cooked at more than 320F, the product will have a burntflavor. [t is preferred that the bits be cooked under a vacuum of 10 to29 inches of mercury. Vacuum cooking allows the production of bits withmoisture contents of as little as 0.1%. Low moisture contents aredesirable because the stability of the bits during storage is improvedif the bits contain less water.

The next step is to add the edible fat and the suspending agent to themixture. This can be done before, after, or during the cooling stepdescribed below.

The mixture is cooled to a temperature between F and 200F, preferablybetween F and F. This temperature range allows optimum flavorincorporation and retention. Flavor incorporation can be accomplished attemperatures as low as 140F, but mixing becomes very difficult. Flavorincorporation at temperatures above 200F may cause an unacceptable lossof flavor volatiles. While the temperature of the mixture is maintainedbetween 140F and 200F, the flavor material is blended into the mixture.The food acid must be added tothe mixture at this point. If the foodacid is present during the cooking, sugar inversion occurs and theproduct is syrupy.

After incorporation of the flavor material, the mixture is cooled untilit becomes hard. It is preferable that the mixture be frozen. Thehardened mixture is then subdivided into small particles, i.e., theflavor bits. The subdivision can be accomplished by any convenientmethod including grinding. The flavor bits can be dusted with cornstarchor any dry edible powder to prevent them from sticking together.

The flavor bits can be included in culinary mixes for the preparation ofbaked goods or can be added directly to the batter during preparation.The bits can be used at levels of 0.5% to 5% by the weight of the totalingredients. The amount of bits used varies with the number of bits thatit is desired to have in the baked item and the amount of flavormaterial which is incorporated into each flavor bit.

The following examples illustrate the advantages of retention of flavorand ability to be dispersed in the culinary mix without settling out,which are characteristic of the flavor bits of this invention. Theexamples are meant only to illustrate the invention and not to limit itin any way.

EXAMPLE I INGREDIENT AMOUNT (grams) Sucrose 215 Water 180 Corn syrup 160Margarine 28 Strawberry flavor l2 Citric acid Glycerine 8 Salt 5 Dye lThe sucrose, corn syrup, water, salt, and glycerine are cooked to atemperature of 290F in a quart Pyrex pot. The heat is removed and themargarine and carboxymethyl cellulose are mixed in. The mixture iscooled to a temperature between 160F and l70F and citric acid,strawberry flavor, and dye are stirred into the mixture. The mixture isthen poured into a cold aluminum pie pan and frozen in dry ice. Thefrozen mixture is then cracked and milled with a Waring blender intobits, which are then sifted and collected on a U.S. Standard No. 12sieve and dusted with cornstarch to prevent them from sticking together.

The bits are then incorporated into a strawberry cake mix with thefollowing formula:

INGREDIENTS PERCENT BY WEIGHT Sugar Dextrose Flour Shortening LcaveningSalt Strawberry flavor Strawberine dye Strawberry flavor bits LII Astrawberry cake containing the bits is then baked in a conventionalmanner. The performance of the bits is evaluated in Table 1.

The above percentages are based upon the amount of carboxymethylcellulose present in the total of the initial ingredients. The aboveTable indicates that levels of the less than 3% carboxymethyl celluloseare not effective in preventing settling out of the flavor bit and thatit is preferred that at least 4% carboxymethyl cellulose be present.Additionally, all of these cakes are characterized by a very strongstrawberry flavor.

EXAMPLE 11 Example I is repeated three times substituting cocoa, lemonflavor, and orange flavor for the strawberry flavor. The bit systemaccepts each of these flavor materials very well. These cakes arecharacterized by very strong chocolate, lemon, and orange flavors,respectively.

EXAMPLE lit 1 I Example I is repeated except that the cooking step isconducted under a vacuum of 28 inches of mercury. Substantiallyequivalent results are obtained, except that the bits are more storagestable.

What is claimed is:

1. A process for the production of a flavor bit for incorporation inculinary mixes for the production of baked goods which comprises:

a. mixing 30% to 40% sugar, 20% to 30% water, and

20% to 30% corn syrup, and cooking the mixture at 230F to 320F for 20minutes to 1.5 hours;

b. mixing 2% to 6% of an edible fat and at least 2.5%

of a suspending agent into the mixture from step c. cooling the mixturefrom step (b) to a temperature between F and 200F;

d. mixing in a small but effective amount of a flavoring material;

e. cooling the mixture from step (d) until it becomes hard; and

f. subdividing the hardened mixture into small particles.

l The process ofclaim 1 wherein theflavoring material is added inamounts from 0.005% to 5% of the total ingredients.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein in step (a), the mixture is cookedunder a vacuum of from 10 inches of mercury to 29 inches of mercury.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein instep (c), the mixture is cooled tobetween F and F.

I 5 The process of claim 3 wherein step te) comprises freezing themixture of step (d).

6LTh process arc'iaim 5 wherein in stpfc lj a food acid is mixed in withthe flavor material.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein in step (d), a dye is mixed in withthe flavor material and the food acid.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the suspending agent is sodiumcarboxymethyl cellulose with a degree of substitution of from 0.35 to1.4. I 9 The product prepared by the process ofclaim l.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the flavoring material is added inamounts from 0.005% to 5% of the total ingredients.
 3. The process ofclaim 1 wherein in step (a), the mixture is cooked under a vacuum offrom 10 inches of mercury to 29 inches of mercury.
 4. The process ofclaim 3 wherein in step (c), the mixture is cooled to betWeen 160*F and190*F.
 5. The process of claim 3 wherein step (e) comprises freezing themixture of step (d).
 6. The process of claim 5 wherein in step (d), afood acid is mixed in with the flavor material.
 7. The process of claim6 wherein in step (d), a dye is mixed in with the flavor material andthe food acid.
 8. The process of claim 1 wherein the suspending agent issodium carboxymethyl cellulose with a degree of substitution of from0.35 to 1.4.
 9. The product prepared by the process of claim
 1. 10. Aculinary mix for the production of baked goods comprising sugar, flour,shortening, and the flavor bit prepared by the process of claim 1.